Google and Sun's Barney announcement (and skinny in a bottle)

In today's IT Blogwatch, we cover yesterday's over-hyped, over-anticipated announcement by Sun and Google; or should we call it a non-announcement: the announcement you have when you don't actually have anything to announce? Not to mention that the Swiss may have a "vaccine" against obesity.

Google, Sun team up reports Linda Rosencrance in her article about, "a move that will make it easier for users to freely obtain Sun's Java Runtime Environment, the Google Toolbar and the OpenOffice.org productivity suite ... Under the deal, Sun will include the Google Toolbar as an option in its consumer downloads of the Java Runtime Environment. In addition, the companies have agreed to explore opportunities to promote and enhance Sun technologies, like the Java Runtime Environment and the OpenOffice.org productivity suite." [Hmmm, sounds a bit fluffy. The only concrete thing is shipping Google Toolbar as shovelware with the J2DE JRE.]

» Thatedeguy summed up his feelings on this announcement "If you didn't listen to the webcast, you didn't really miss a whole lot. The gist of it was that Sun and Google were announcing the strategic partnership of their two companies. Anything beyond that, they left as hazy as possible." He also posted: "So basically, all I've heard so far is that Ex-Sun Employees have filtered out into the tech world and are now running many of the worlds leaders in IT including Google."

» Sun blogger Ben Rockwood tries desperately to make it sound interesting: "strategic partnership to leverage JRE and the Google Toolbar ... Google is becoming a Sun customer ... recommend you watch the replay of the webcast or replay of the call because its a fun call. The most comfortable and relaxed call I've heard in years ... this is just the first of many steps. What are those steps? Who knows." Fellow Sun blogger Dan Lacher comments on that post: "I was left asking myself what are we announcing… I mean it created a lot of hype but I was a little let down w/ the webcast".

» Mary Jo Foley expostulated: "To hear Sun, Google and the Anything But Microsoft campers tell it, Microsoft Office will be officially toast any day now. " She continues: "Whenever — and if ever — Sun and Microsoft deliver a light-weight, fast, cheap Web-based Office alternative, Microsoft Office will not be its primary competitor". [hj877qwfsd ... Wha'? Sorry I seem to have fallen asleep on my keyboard.]

» RuGolfer commented "The announcement continues the march to software as a service. I believe ultimately google (using Java and Open Office from Sun) wants to eat Microsoft's lunch around desktop productivity apps." [Did somebody want a Big M for lunch?]

» Anders Kargaard Jensen believes "It is the most fatal blow to Microsoft, and will be significant in Google's strive to become more valuable and more successful than Microsoft has ever been". [Fatal blows?.. hmmm.]

» What Sam is wondering... "why they chose to announce this and did not keep it quiet. It would ceteris parabis be better to surprise the FAT CLIENT desktop incumbent -- even if this is a quasi-practical joke ... I think they're just grabbing Microsoft by the tail and whirling it around their heads. McNealy & Schmidt -- the old Sunnies -- are farting about having a laugh." [We think he meant ceteris parabus, but why he couldn't just say "all other things being equal" I don't know -- surely this would be better, a priori? ;-) ]

» Jack Richins heard the farts from his office in Redmond: "Seriously?? There was a lot of noise about Google and Sun combining to do something big. And all they did is let you download Java with the Google toolbar. What a joke. Stock prices of Sun, Google, and Microsoft all move dramatically in anticipation and this is all about Java downloads? Please..." [Something smells bad.]

» Todd Russell's thoughts: "More hype than ripe ... I use OpenOffice on the Mac and would strongly consider using it on the PC if the right set of useful features and the stability was there. The problem for me is any such collaboration would probably leave out inking capabilities, so there goes any planned usage on my tablet. Since my main portable machine is the tablet, there goes my main portable use, even if Google makes this app irresistable feature-wise ... All this excitement over a 'coming soon?'" [It was ever thus, Todd.]

» From Brad Hill: "Clearly an alliance that opposes Microsoft in the long-range struggle for ownership of new computing paradigms, this newly minted public friendship will be inaugurated modestly ... Either way, it’s a soft announcement, and meaningless to consumers generally ... Eric Schmidt and Scott McNealy could have stood up and said 'We're going steady (in a totally business way),' and the result would have been the same." [Yeah, and Eric would wear Scott's class ring. Good grief.]

» Whilst Hinkmond Wong's view: "I have a feeling there's going to be more than meets the eye with the Google Sun deal announced today.... Stay tuned. Same Bat Time. Same Bat Channel." [Huh?]

» Then there is Today the Toolbar, Tomorrow... Bobnar Blog: "Perhaps it was just a ploy to drum up a little good press for Google and Sun, or maybe the real announcement was shelved at the last minute, either because of technical difficulties, or because they thought better of over-antagonizing Microsoft with a big announcement about how they're joining forces to take down Bill Gates' Office cash-cow."

» Tarek Amr goes even further: "people are expecting to see an output that will change the solar system."  [Today the world, tomorrow the solar system?]

» Whilst still in this theme, Dave Davies said: "Like Google Earth? How About Google Sun ... While not all the effects are directly geared towards enhancing Google's position they will all either help Google or hinder Microsoft which, in turn, helps Google." [Too much sun, perhaps?]

» Ontario Emperor says: "Note that Schmidt did not - I repeat, did not - mention OpenOffice distribution as a done deal.  So, for all the hoopla, all that's guaranteed is that Google users can get JRE, and Sun users can get a toolbar."

» By the way, in case you were wondering, "Barney announcement?" It's an expression coined by Mailgeek (amongst others). Just imagine a large purple dinosaur singing, "I love you. You love me..."

Buffer overflow:

• Ning unveiled
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• So What Does Office 12 PDF Support Really Mean?
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• Netscape makes comeback with HP
• Earthlink Wins Philly Muni WiFi Deal
• First Katrina Scammer Arrested, Tricked 50 People Out of Nearly $1,000 each
• No phishing allowed !
• Moving On...
• Holograph? Schmolograph...
• Does HP get it?
• Katrina scrambles IT spending plans -- temporarily?
• Orbital Sciences is tops in IT ROI among aerospace/defense companies
• Western Digital: Microcode virus attacks that destroy hard drives possible

And finally..  Skinny in a Bottle, or How Fat Vaccines Will Work

Richi Jennings is an independent technology and marketing consultant, specializing in email, blogging, Linux, and computer security. A 20 year, cross-functional IT veteran, he is also an analyst at Ferris Research. Contact Richi at blogwatch@richi.co.uk. Also contributing to today's post: Judi Dey, our very own Antipodean Kylie-lookalikie.